The accident occurred in Marib province, east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. According to the Ministry of Defense in Yemen [that is, the Saudi puppet government in exile of Yemen] website the helicopter was shot down by friendly fire.

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed several mummies, colourful wooden sarcophagi and more than 1,000 funerary statues in a 3,500-year-old tomb near the city of Luxor, hailing an “important discovery”.

The 18th Dynasty tomb containing at least eight mummies was discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, the antiquities ministry said in a Tuesday statement.

It belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge. It was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, to protect them during a period when tomb-robbing was common, Mostafa Waziri, the head of the archaeological mission, said at the site.

“It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside,” Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told reporters outside the tomb.

“We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them,” Enany said.

“This is an important discovery.”

Ushabti figurines were often placed with the deceased in ancient Egyptian tombs to help with responsibilities in the afterlife.

Antiquities officials had initially said six mummies along with partial remains were discovered near the southern city, but said they had later identified two more mummies.

“There are 10 coffins and eight mummies. The excavation is ongoing,” Waziri said.

Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the sarcophagi, which were covered with intricate drawings in red, blue, black, green, and yellow, and featured the carved faces of the dead.

Further discoveries possible

The coffins were mainly well-preserved, though some had deteriorated and broken over the years.

Archaeologists were also examining a mummy wrapped in linen which was inside one of the coffins.

White, orange, green, and patterned pots were also found in the tombs.

The necropolis is located across the Nile from Luxor, on the west bank, where many of the famous ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried, including Tutankhamun.

The age of the tomb was determined “through the drawings on the ceiling,” said Waziri.

“It is a T-shaped tomb (which) consists of an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber,” the ministry said in a statement.

A nine-metre shaft inside the tomb held the Ushabti figurines, as well as “wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid,” the ministry said.

“The corridor of the tomb leads into an inner chamber where a cachette of sarcophagi is found,” the ministry said.

Waziri said the mummies dated back to an age called “the era of the tomb robbers.”

“It’s evident that someone with a conscience, the priests or a high-profile government official… made an opening to the chambers, and they put the coffins there,” he said.

Another room in the tomb was also discovered, though it has not yet been completely excavated, the ministry said.

Archaeologists were able to enter the tomb “after removing almost 450 metres of debris out of the open court,” it added.

The tombs and ancient temples of Thebes, the capital of ancient Egypt during its later periods and now the city of Luxor, have been a major tourist attraction.

Watch as the female Barred Owl returns at dawn to brood her three growing owlets.

The three eggs hatched on April 6, 8, and 10. The Barred Owls‘ sole focus for the next 4–5 weeks will be to provide enough food and warmth to their owlets as they grow old enough to venture into the wild beyond the nest box.

Spain’s second largest daily newspaper [right-wing] El Mundo which has played a key role in uncovering other scandals has published what it says are original documents showing payments from an illicit slush fund operated by the PP.

“We are in an unsustainable situation, at our limit. We are being ruled by a delinquent government, supported by criminal structure which is the party and consequently we are in a corrupt system that cannot take it anymore,” said one of the protesters.

Another added, “We have over six million out of work, we have a massive brain drain, we have an excess of qualified people at universities who must emigrate and we can’t take that anymore.”

The documents published in El Mundo show the name of Mariano Rajoy and two payments of 12,600 euros. El Mundo has handed them over to the High Court.

The ledger was reportedly operated by former party treasurer Luis Bárcenas. He is being held in custody in a separate corruption case accused of tax fraud and receiving illegal payments.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has to appear in court as a witness in a corruption trial. The National Court has called him in the Gurtel trial against several members of Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP).

In this court case 37 people stand accused, including two treasurers of the ruling party. After a lengthy investigation the Spanish Public Prosecutor suspects these politicians of bribery, forgery and tax evasion.

They are said to have constituted a criminal network with a Spanish businessman at its head. The members abused their power for years and have accepted bribes in exchange for contracts.

The Popular Party itself is at issue, that conservative party is said to have benefited from illegal funds. The case has been around for a while. Already in November 2014 the Spanish Health Minister Ana Mato had to resign. …

The PP still won the election last year, but lost the absolute majority. Prime Minister Rajoy therefore leads a minority government.

Just four months after coming to power as a minority government with the help of the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Citizens party, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP) administration is beset by yet another corruption scandal. According to the latest survey, 45 percent of voters say corruption is one of the three main problems facing Spain, an increase of almost 10 points since January. The revelations in the “Caso Lezo” (Lezo Case) show once again the outright criminality that lay at the heart of the country’s now-shipwrecked real estate-based economic boom. It is the latest in a long list of corruption scandals affecting one major Spanish institution after another: here.